Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Domestic violence, cop connection key issues

As voters head to the polls for early voting in the crowded primary race for the Ward 6 seat on the Las Vegas City Council, candidate Steve Ross' domestic violence issues from the past are being brought to voters' doors.

A flier from the group Nevadans Against Domestic Violence and delivered to Ward 6 voters this week, quotes an affidavit given by Ross' ex-wife Traci in 1993 that states Ross threatened her with a knife, a gun and struck her. The piece asks voters not to vote for Ross.

Ross, who was arrested in 1991 on domestic violence charges but not convicted, said the quote in the flier contains false allegations. He said he never threatened his now ex-wife with a knife or a gun, although he did hit her once.

"I'm surprised my opponent or whoever it is would stoop so low to win an election," Ross said.

Meanwhile, Ross is trying an unusual tactic to persuade voters not to vote for one of his opponents. He is saying that fellow candidate Mary Gillins is too close to the police.

The issue, according to Ross, is that he opposes the proposed increase to the state sales tax that would be used to pay for more police but Gillins favors it.

The Legislature, not the City Council, will decide the fate of the increase, but Ross said that as a councilman he could more effectively lobby against the tax increase even though the issue will probably be resolved by the Legislature before the new Ward 6 council member takes office.

He also said Gillins would not be able to vote on police-related items that come before the council because her husband is a Metro Police officer.

Gillins' campaign manager, Jim Ferrence, said Ross is just trying to divert attention from the domestic violence issue.

UNLV political science professor Ted Jelen said this is the first time he's heard of a candidate trying to use an opponent's closeness with the police against them. He added that the tactic will probably backfire on Ross because his argument is too complex, while voters can more easily understand that Gillins is supported by police, which is typically good news for any candidate.

"If I was Ross I would try to change the subject," Jelen said.

Ross and Gillins are among the 11 candidates running for the Ward 6 council seat. Early voting for the primary started Saturday and runs through April 1. Primary Election Day is April 5.

A candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary will be declared the winner, otherwise the top two vote getters will face off in the June 7 general election.

Nevadans Against Domestic Violence is a political action committee that filed with the secretary of state's Office on Wednesday. The committee is headed by Catherine Lin Schlesinger, who works as an associate for Southwest Strategies, which worked on Ross' campaign until early February when they separated over a disagreement over who would manage the campaign, Ross said.

Southwest boss Billy Rogers said his company advised Schlesinger as she went about forming her political action committee, but he said the company did not pay for the flier.

The piece quotes part of Traci Ross' Jan. 4, 1993, affidavit, which was done for the couples' child custody case. The quote says their children have seen Steve Ross "physically abuse me, threaten me with a knife, threaten me with a gun, physically strike me and has on numerous occasions heard the children tell him not to hit their mom."

Schlesinger said she put out the mail piece because she feels having someone with domestic violence in their background "sends a bad message to children."

She said she is not working with any candidate running against Ross and primarily used her own money to pay for the mail piece.

Ross said the flier is misleading.

"I did slap my wife, and I've admitted to that, but the rest are just allegations," Ross said, adding that he hit her once.

Ross, 42, also said he expected his opponents to "exploit my past to hide these other issues."

He said people should be focused on "what's happening today" and the issue of raising taxes.

Although Gillins is not mentioned by name on Ross' campaign Web site or his direct-mail pieces sent to voters during the last few weeks, the statements leave little doubt that they are referring to Gillins

"Our property taxes should be brought under control ... but with rapidly rising property taxes, why is my opponent and her lobbyist husband working to increase your sales tax to pay for more police?" says Ross' campaign Web site. Ross said that with the expected increase in tax revenue from property taxes, there is no need to increase the sales tax.

Gillins, 43, is a legal assistant and operations manager for the Las Vegas Police Protective Association, and her husband is a Metro Police detective who lobbies for the department. She has also been endorsed by several police organizations, including the union she works for.

A flier sent to voters from the Ross campaign says "Steve Ross isn't tied to the police department, so he can push hard for our fair share of police protection."

It also says, "Steve Ross doesn't owe his loyalty to the police union, so he can freely say, 'No new taxes. We have enough money to put more police on our streets.' "

During a recent interview Ross said Gillins is a "special interest candidate," and that special interest is the Metro Police union.

Gillins said she thinks her husband's job with Metro will probably force her to abstain from voting on the union contract for Metro officers, but she wasn't sure what else would be affected.

"I'm sure all of us are going to have some conflict," Gillins said.

And while Gillins said she does support the proposed 1/4-cent sales tax increase to provide money for more police, she said the issue is one for the state Legislature, and not for the city government.

The proposed 1/4-cent increase would come in July, followed in July 2009 by another 1/ 4-cent increase which would bring the total sales tax to 8 percent that year. The increase was narrowly supported by voters in November.

Another candidate who is trying to make possible abstentions from council votes an issue is Byron Goynes.

"If you're not able to participate in the process because you abstain, then you leave it up to other council members to protect your ward," Goynes said.

Goynes, a member of the city Planning Commission, highlights his years on the commission, and before that the city's now defunct zoning board, as evidence that he is the most experienced candidate in the race.

He also said that unlike some of his opponents he doesn't think he would ever have to abstain from voting on a matter that goes before the council.

In addition to Gillins' being married to a police detective, Goynes said Ross would probably have to abstain from some matters because Ross is an electrical contractor.

But Ross said the company he works for, Keleeco Electric, which is owned by his current wife, does not do business with big developers or other companies that come before the council. So, Ross said, he would not have to abstain from items that come before the council.

While Goynes touts his experience as a member of the city's zoning or planning boards since 1992, Goynes has also taken criticism for some of his actions as a board member.

Most recently, residents of the Rancho Manor Neighborhood Association complained about Goynes' participation in their meeting with an Atlanta development company that wanted to build high-rises at the intersection of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Alta Drive. That project was ultimately rejected by the City Council, and the company, Ambling Development, is planning to return with a scaled-back proposal for the property.

Goynes said that to him the turmoil over some of his stands while on the commission shows "the system is working," adding that not everyone will be pleased with every decision he makes.

Goynes, 44, is the manager of customer service/quality assurance for ATC Las Vegas, the company that operates Citizens Area Transit

The other candidates in the Ward 6 race are: Troy P. Bulloch, 34, manager of the Fort Cheyenne casino; Debbie Kitterman Burgos, 45, legal administrator at Dickerson Dickerson Consul & Pocker; Jeff Crisman, 56, retired; Robert D. Glover, 59, managing partner, Bowman, Foreman & Sbarra Insurance Agency; Gary L. Ratliff, 61, retired; Marlene Rogoff, 60, Realtor; Anthony M. "Tony" Salas, 58, on disability; and Steve "Devil Dog" Sanson, 37, credit/legal manager for Fronteer Directory Co.

The Ward 6 Councilman Michael Mack decided not to run for re-election. Mack has said he wanted to spend more time with his family.

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